In the United States, the games of softball and baseball are very popular. Moreover, softball and baseball enjoy great popularity in many East Asian, Latin American and Caribbean countries, as well. In a 2006 Gallup poll of Americans, 49% considered themselves baseball fans. In 2006, almost 2.3 million children played Little League Baseball worldwide, which is the largest of several leagues that organize youth baseball for children 5-18 years old. In the United States, most high schools and colleges provide baseball and softball as an intramural or competitive extra-curricular activity. In the United States, while on par in popularity with football, baseball is the oldest major sport and holds the most exalted position as the American pastime.
Familiarity with the basic concepts of the rules of baseball and softball are assumed, as one of ordinary skill in the art would know the rules intimately. However, the rules of baseball and softball provide for markers known as bases that are positioned at the four corners of a diamond, up to 90 feet in distance depending upon the age level of the players or whether baseball of softball is being played. Three of the bases are commonly referred to as bags, because they are short boxes that are placed on the surface of the ground and rise up one to four inches in height. The fourth base, known as home plate, is much thinner and rises above the ground less than one inch. Also, a pitching rubber is placed on a pitcher's mound from which the ball is thrown.
These bases are commonly held in position one of three ways. Major league teams and other organized baseball leagues generally use hollow, square metal posts located in the ground at the proper base locations. Stanchions that are attached to the bottom of the bases are placed in the hollow posts. In this manner, the bases are firmly and fixedly, yet removably positioned for play. Runners running to the bases do not have to fear that the bases will slide as the runner slides into or steps on the base. However, this method requires digging a hole into the ground and repacking the dirt around the post. This can be accomplished on a dedicated baseball field, but it is very difficult and time consuming when bases are arranged on an impromptu baseball field, such as is common for practices, for young children or for a number of other situations where a dedicated field is not used, such as indoors.
The second common type of base uses spikes that are driven into the ground that are attached to straps. The straps are cinched tight to the base and the spikes that hold the base in position. These types of bases are undesirable because they require driving a spike into the ground, which is not possible when playing indoors or on an asphalt or concrete surface, because they require tools for installation and because the bases come in multiple parts, which inevitably become lost.
A third type of base commonly used are “throwdown bases.” These bases typically are formed from a single piece or molded rubber or vinyl. These bases are generally thinner than official bases. These bases also suffer from sliding and slipping particularly on grassy or wet surfaces.
As a result of the undesirability of these methods, softball and baseball bases are frequently positioned without any anchoring of any type. For bases, this is undesirable because runners running across or sliding to a bag will move the bag inadvertently. This is undesirable because the player may slip and fall thereby causing as injury or the base may be moved from its required position according the rules of baseball or softball.
Moreover, youth baseball leagues have recently mandated bases that, when a player slides into the base, “breaks away” from its position so that the runner is not injured, as commonly occurs with bases that are rigidly held in place, as described above. Put another way, leagues are requiring a base that will move when a lateral load is applied. The difficulty is designing such a base that will not move when the runner merely runs across the base, i.e. when the load applied is a combination of a lateral load and a vertical load.
Others have attempted to create a base that satisfies these requirements. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,768 to Roger Hall discloses a base with a “breakaway element,” such as a hook and loop material attached to a base and a receiver portion that is buried in the ground. However, this attempt still requires buried elements and is not tolerant of dirty conditions, which are common on a baseball field. For other reasons, this design has not gained widespread success. The same inventor has patented other similar designs, which all require buried elements or elaborate designs.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for baseball and softball bases that do not require the digging of a hole, driving of a stake, tools or detachable parts in order to be securely and firmly and removably mounted in position.